1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to production of aryl mercury containing polymers useful as fungicides.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Aryl mercury containing compounds are well known in the art as exhibiting biological activity as fungicides, mildewcides, and bacteriocides.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,367,898 (1968) discloses a process for protecting articles against attack by fungus and mildew by the use of paint compositions containing a copolymer of phenyl mercuric acrylate or phenyl mercuric methacrylate. The copolymers are prepared by copolymerizing phenyl mercuric acrylate monomer or phenyl mercuric methyacrylate monomer with vinyl acrylate or an acrylate monomer such as ethyl acrylate. However, this process is limited to those polymers which can be formed from aryl mercury containing acrylic monomers and is unsuitable for those polymers requiring condensation polymerization.
Phenylmercuric hydroxide is also known as a catalyst in the esterification of terephthalic acid with ethylene glycol, as disclosed in French Pat. No. 1,544,484 (1968), the ester being polymerized in the presence of Sb.sub.2 O.sub.3 or Sb.sub.2 S.sub.3 to form polyethylene terephthalate. However, the prior art does not provide a method for producing polyethylene terephthalate containing arylmercurioxycarbonyl groups since at the high polymerization temperature recited, i.e. 282.degree. C., the arylmercurioxycarbonyl radical is unstable.
Russian Pat. No. 181,277 (1966) discloses styrene polymers containing phenyl mercury groups which are useful as anion exchange reagents. However, the polymers are formed by reacting the aromatic styrene portion of the polymer with mercuric acetate, wherein the structure of the resulting mercury containing group is that of an acetoxymercuriphenyl radical, ##STR1## RATHER THAN THE HIGHLY FUNGICIDALLY ACTIVE PHENYLMERCURIOXYCARBONYL RADICAL, ##STR2##
Ethylene-maleic anhydride copolymer has been reacted with p-(acetoxymercuri)aniline to form a substrate useful in the determination of sulfur compounds, as described in Arch, Biochem. Biophys. 121(1), 67-72 (1967), but the resulting water insoluble copolymer also contains the acetoxymercuriphenyl radical.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a process, which the prior art does not provide, for preparing a wide range of polymers containing an arylmercurioxycarbonyl radical, including those polymers requiring high polymerization temperatures.